Topic:

Artificial Intelligence and its place in the IT World.

Description:

Artificial Intelligence - "An area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence." -Webster Dictionary

The field of artificial intelligence aims to give computers the ability to think, make decisions, understand normal human conversation, simulate human emotion, and possibly even experience feelings similarly to humans.


external image Kismet_robot_at_MIT_Museum.jpg
Kismet, a robot with rudimentary social skills

Applications:

The applications of artificial intelligence are endless. Imagine a house run by a computer that could see, recognize, and adapt the conditions of the house based on its inhabitants. A house with this kind of mental power could do things like:
- Alert emergency services of break-ins, fires, and even if an inhabitant has been injured on its own.
- Regulate heating and cooling according to the schedules of its inhabitants.
- Run self-diagnostics to identify items and systems that require maintenance or repair.
- Control all electronics in the house by voice command.
- Aid in research and answer questions.
- Provided company and care for the elderly.
and many more.

Artificial Intelligence in the World Today:

Watson-Racks.jpg
(Click image to see Watson in a match of Jeopardy!)

IBM's Watson
Watson is IBM is an AI computer that processes and answers questions in natural language. Watson implements over a hundred different techniques to analyze question and then through identifying sources and identifying evidence can give accurate answers to questions asked. Watson's skills have been used in Jeopardy matches against human opponents and in the medical field to find the best treatment to a medical problem.

Google's DeepMind
"DeepMind is a cutting edge artificial intelligence company. We combine the best techniques from machine learning and systems neuroscience to build powerful general-purpose learning algorithms. Founded by Demis Hassabis, Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, the company is based in London and supported by some of the most iconic technology entrepreneurs and investors of the past decade. Our first commercial applications are in simulations, e-commerce and games."

Facebook's Deep Learning
"In some ways, Facebook and AI is a rather creepy combination. Deep learning provides a more effective means of analyzing your most personal of habits. “What Facebook can do with deep learning is unlimited,” says Abdel-rahman Mohamed, who worked on similar AI research at the University of Toronto. “Every day, Facebook is collecting the network of relationships between people. It’s getting your activity over the course of the day. It knows how you vote — Democrat or Republican. It knows what products you buy.”"

Impact on Society:
As the field of artificial intelligence advances companies are taking advantage of the ability to imbue their products with far greater autonomy. These intelligent devices will, in turn, reshape the way we live our day to day lives. Before long driving will be a specialist skill as most, if not all, cars in civilian society will likely drive themselves using advanced AI systems. Many labor based jobs may disappear entirely, replaced by robots with AI advanced enough to replicate the capabilities of a human worker. As artificial intelligences become more advanced and commonplace society will have to radically shift to accommodate their existence. Half a century from now society will likely be inconceivably different from that of today, largely thanks to the widespread changes that intelligent computer systems and machines will bring.

Ethics and Artificial Intelligence:
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A subject often explored by many science fiction works is the ethical relationship with humans and robotics/artificial intelligence. As science progresses this will be an interesting field and can change the world as we know it. When a machine has the ability to produce active thought process and not only display but create emotions does it still remain simply a machine or has it become a living creature? As we use more machines and integrate them within our daily life will there be a point they can be held responsible for fault and accidents that may occur? In the world of business will a machine with artificial thought help expand and produce better results than a human and will that lead to the loss of many jobs for humans. Ultimately we create technology to help and innovate the way we live but can the end result something that worsens the human condition? These are questions that as technology progress will soon have to be discovered and answered but even with the infancy of AI there are already problems such as the militaries use of unmanned vehicles and the vast network of data sharing and selling of our online footprints. Our relationship with technology is changing just as fast as technology keeps innovating and we as humans will have to draw the line of what is ethically correct when it comes to AI and all the possibilities it brings.




Related Links & Sources:

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=4278

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_artificial_intelligence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_artificial_intelligence


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watson_(computer)#cite_note-15


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artificial%20intelligence

https://www.mysciencework.com/news/2402/artificial-intelligence-and-home-automation-putting-the-human-back-at-the-centre-of-technological-development